Marriage (Minimum Age) Bill receives third reading

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill received a third reading last week in the House of Commons.

If successful, the Bill would raise the minimum age for marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales to 18.

Currently children aged 16 and 17 can marry with the consent of their parents but the new bill proposes to make it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to marry, signalling an end to what has been described as “child abuse” by Sajid Javid, initial sponsor of the Bill.

The Bill has also been amended to prevent 16 and 17 year old’s from England and Wales from being taken to Northern Ireland or Scotland and coerced into marrying there, described as the “Gretna Green exemption” by Paula Latham, sponsor of the Bill.

“The anticipated effect of this change on the common law will also mean that any marriages which take place overseas, or in Scotland or Northern Ireland, involving under 18s where one of the parties is domiciled in England and Wales, will not be legally recognised in England and Wales. This change to recognition will also apply to civil partnerships.”

The Explanatory Notes to the Bill above, state how this might affect marriages and civil partnerships which take place outside of England and Wales.

Justice minister Tom Pursglove assured Ms Latham that there would be “no needless or unnecessary delay” in making the Bill law as soon as possible. The third reading was unopposed and the Bill will now pass to the House of Lords.

For a House of Commons Library briefing paper covering the Bill, click here.

The Bill’s progress may be tracked here, and for the House of Commons debate, click here.